Search System Using Search Subdomain and Hints to Subdomains in Search Query Statements and Sponsored Results on a Subdomain-By-Subdomain Basis

1. A computer-executed method comprising: receiving, from a requesting entity, a search query comprising one or more query words, wherein the one or more query words include a particular keyword; determining whether the particular keyword is a first hint keyword; if the particular keyword is the first hint keyword, then searching a first set of one or more databases for at least one query word of the one or more query words, wherein the first set of one or more databases is selected based on the first hint keyword; if the particular keyword is not the first hint keyword, then searching a second set of one or more databases for at least one query word of the one or more query words; wherein determining whether the particular keyword is the first hint keyword further comprises one or more of the following: (a) comparing the particular keyword against a list of words that are not hint keywords; (b) comparing a type of the particular keyword against a list of types of keywords that are not hint keyword types; (c) detecting a pattern in the particular keyword, wherein the pattern is identified by a business rule to be indicative of a hint keyword; and (d) detecting a pattern of usage based on a query log, wherein the pattern of usage identifies the particular keyword as the first hint keyword, wherein the query log comprises a record of a previous search query and an indicator of a particular document in which the requesting entity has expressed an interest, and wherein the particular document is from a set of results based on the previous search query; wherein determining whether the particular keyword is the first hint keyword further comprises: finding a match for the particular keyword in a query log, wherein the query log maintains a history of prior queries; identifying the particular keyword to be the first hint keyword based on matches in the query log; retrieving information regarding a first set of one or more documents resulting from the step of searching either the first set of one or more databases or the second set of one or more databases; and returning, to the requesting entity, the information regarding the first set of one or more documents.

2. A computer-executed method of providing search results in response to a search request wherein the search request includes at least a search query string, comprising: parsing the search query string into tokens; determining which tokens, if any, are hint tokens; if the search query string includes at least one hint token, then performing a hint directed action on the search request, wherein the hint-directed action comprises one or more of: a) submitting a remainder search string to a search engine wherein a remainder search string is a string corresponding to the search query string less the at least one hint token, b) directing the search request to a search system indicated by one or more of the hint tokens, or c) adding a parameter parameters to the search request, as indicated by one or more hint tokens, that causes the search request to be directed to a particular domain; wherein determining which tokens are hint tokens further comprises one or more of the following: (a) comparing the tokens against a list of tokens that are not hint tokens; (b) comparing a type of each of the tokens against a list of types of tokens that are not hint token types; (c) detecting a pattern in a particular token of the tokens, wherein the pattern is identified by a business rule to be indicative of a hint token; and (d) detecting a pattern of usage based on a query log, wherein the pattern of usage identifies a particular token of the tokens as a hint token, wherein the query log comprises a record of a previous search request and an indicator of a particular document in which an entity has expressed an interest, and wherein the particular document is from a set of results based on the previous search request; wherein determining which tokens are hint tokens comprises: finding matches for one or more of the tokens in a query log, wherein the query log maintains a history of prior queries; identifying tokens as hint tokens based on matches in the query log; and if the search query string does not include at least one hint token, then submitting the search request to a search engine without performing any hint-directed action.

3. The computer-executed method of claim 2 , wherein the search query string includes at least one hint token, and the hint-directed action comprises adding additional search terms to the search request.

4. The computer-executed method of claim 2 , wherein determining which tokens are hint tokens comprises analyzing a table of possible hint tokens maintained by a search server.

5. The computer-executed method of claim 2 , further comprising inferring an implicit hint based on prior query activity.

6. The computer-executed method of claim 2 , wherein a search query string having one or more hint tokens is parsed into a remainder search string and the one or more hint tokens and the remainder search string is directed to a subdomain hinted at by at least one of the one or more hint tokens.

7. The computer-executed method of claim 2 , wherein a search query string having one or more hint tokens is parsed into a remainder search string and the one or more hint tokens and the remainder search string is directed to search engine for a search over a corpus hinted at by at least one of the one or more hint tokens.

8. The computer-executed method of claim 2 , further comprising: if the search query string includes at least one hint token, making an initial determination as to the presence of at least one location hint token in the at least one hint token; if at least one location hint token is present, testing for exceptions wherein location hint tokens are flagged as not being location-determining; if at least one location hint token is present and is not flagged as not being location-determining, performing a location-based search; and if no location hint token is present or any present location hint token is flagged as not being location-determining, performing a location-independent search.

9. The computer-executed method of claim 8 , further comprising generating a map of a location indicated by a location hint token not flagged as not being location-determining if one is present.

10. The computer-executed method of claim 9 , further comprising combining the map and results of the location-based search in a display page returned to a requester.

11. The computer-executed method of claim 1 , wherein the first set of one or more databases includes documents relating to maps, telephone directory lookups, weather, news, shopping, auctions, images and hierarchical directory searches.

12. The computer-executed method of claim 1 , wherein the particular keyword is the first hint keyword; and wherein the step of searching the first set of one or more databases for the at least one query word further comprises excluding the first hint keyword from the at least one query word.

13. The computer-executed method of claim 1 , further comprising: parsing the particular keyword from the search query based on one or more of the following: (a) one or more hint operators delimiting the particular keyword; (b) a mapping of the particular keyword to one or more databases; (c) detecting a pattern in the search query identified by a business rule to be indicative of the particular keyword; and (d) a preference established by the requesting entity, wherein the preference identifies the particular keyword.

14. The computer-executed method of claim 1 , wherein the step of determining whether the particular keyword is the first hint keyword further comprises determining whether the particular keyword is delimited by one or more hint operators; if the particular keyword is delimited by the one or more hint operators, then determining that the particular keyword is the first hint keyword; and if the particular keyword is not delimited by the one or more hint operators, then determining that the particular keyword is not the first hint keyword.

15. The computer-executed method of claim 1 , wherein the particular keyword is the first hint keyword; and wherein the step of searching the first set of one or more databases for the at least one query word of the one or more query words is at a particular search server; and wherein the step of searching the first set of one or more databases for the at least one query word of the one or more query words further comprises: passing the at least one query word to a subdomain search server; wherein the subdomain search server has access to the first set of one or more databases selected based on the first hint keyword; and wherein the particular search server does not have access to the first set of one or more databases selected based on the first hint keyword.

16. The computer-executed method of claim 13 , wherein the step of parsing the particular keyword from the search query is based on a preference established by the requesting entity; and wherein the preference comprises one or more of the following: (a) a keyword provided by the requesting entity; (b) a particular word of a plurality of words selected by the requesting entity to be a keyword, wherein the plurality of words is provided to the requesting entity; and (c) information about the requesting entity provided by the requesting entity.

17. The computer-executed method of claim 1 , wherein the particular keyword is the first hint keyword; wherein only one document results from the step of searching; and wherein the one document is mapped to the first hint keyword.

18. The computer-executed method of claim 13 , further comprising returning an error message to the requesting entity; wherein the step of parsing the particular keyword from the search query is based on one or more hint operators delimiting the particular keyword; and wherein the particular keyword is not the first hint keyword.

19. The computer-executed method of claim 1 , wherein the particular keyword is the first hint keyword, and further comprising: searching a third set of one or more databases for at least one query word of the one or more query words, wherein the third set of one or more databases is not selected based on the first hint keyword; retrieving information regarding a second set of one or more documents resulting from the step of searching the third set of one or more databases; identifying a particular document associated with the first hint keyword; returning, to the requesting entity, the particular document and the information regarding the second set of one or more documents; and distinguishing information regarding the first set of one or more documents from the second set of one or more documents using a display element.

20. The computer-executed method of claim 1 , wherein the particular keyword is the first hint keyword, and further comprising: determining a second hint keyword, wherein the second hint keyword is related to both the first hint keyword and one or more of the following: (a) a topic of a document in which the requesting entity previously expressed interest; (b) a location of the requesting entity; (c) a preference specified by the requesting entity; (d) a meaning of the first hint keyword provided by the requesting entity; and (e) a specified meaning of the first hint keyword; selecting a third set of one or more databases based on the second hint keyword; searching the third set of one or more databases for the at least one query word of the one or more query words; retrieving information regarding a second set of one or more documents resulting from the step of searching; removing information regarding documents that do not relate to the second hint keyword from the information regarding the second set of one or more documents; returning, to the requesting entity, the information regarding the second set of one or more documents; and returning, to the requesting entity, information regarding sponsored documents that are mapped to the second hint keyword.

21. The computer-executed method of claim 1 wherein the first set of one or more documents resulting from the step of searching include a sponsored document; and wherein the sponsored document is mapped to the first hint keyword.

22. The computer-executed method of claim 1 , wherein the step of determining whether the particular keyword is the first hint keyword further comprises comparing the particular keyword against a list of words that are not hint keywords.

23. The computer-executed method of claim 1 , wherein the step of determining whether the particular keyword is the first hint keyword further comprises comparing a type of the particular keyword against a list of types of keywords that are not hint keyword types.

24. The computer-executed method of claim 1 , wherein the step of determining whether the particular keyword is the first hint keyword further comprises detecting a pattern in the particular keyword, wherein the pattern is identified by a business rule to be indicative of a hint keyword.

25. The computer-executed method of claim 1 , wherein the step of determining whether the particular keyword is the first hint keyword further comprises: detecting a pattern of usage based on a query log, wherein the pattern of usage identifies the particular keyword as the first hint keyword; wherein the query log comprises a record of a previous search query and an indicator of a particular document in which the requesting entity expressed an interest; and wherein the particular document is from a set of results based on the previous search query.

26. A computer-executed method comprising: receiving, from a requesting entity, a search query comprising one or more query words; selecting a hint keyword related to the search query, said selecting comprising one or more of the following: (a) determining that the one or more query words imply a locality and selecting the hint keyword to indicate the locality; (b) selecting the hint keyword based on trends in searches similar to the search query; (c) selecting the hint keyword based on a preference specified by the requesting entity; and (d) selecting the hint keyword based on a location specified by the requesting entity; wherein determining whether a particular query word is the hint keyword further comprises one or more of the following: (a) comparing the particular query word against a list of words that are not hint keywords; (b) comparing a type of the particular query word against a list of types of words that are not hint keyword types; (c) detecting a pattern in the particular query word, wherein the pattern is identified by a business rule to be indicative of a hint keyword; and (d) detecting a pattern of usage based on a query log, wherein the pattern of usage identifies a particular query word as the hint keyword, wherein the query log comprises a record of a previous search query and an indicator of a particular document in which the requesting entity has expressed an interest, and wherein the particular document is from a set of results based on the previous search query; wherein determining whether the particular query word is the hint keyword further comprises: finding a match for the particular query word in a query log, wherein the query log maintains a history of prior queries; identifying the particular query word to be the hint keyword based on matches in the query log; searching a set of one or more databases for at least one query word of the one or more query words, wherein the set of one or more databases is selected based on the hint keyword; retrieving a set of one or more documents resulting from the step of searching; and returning information regarding the set of one or more documents to the requesting entity.